Officials seek clues to how fire killed 19 hotshots

'It is a worst-case scenario for firefighting,' says meteorologist

11:09 PM,
Jul. 2, 2013

Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots watch a growing wildfire that later swept over and killed the crew of 19 firefighters near Yarnell, Ariz., Sunday. One of them ? Andrew Ashcraft ? texted the photo to his wife, Juliann, but died later that day battling the out-of-control blaze.

Written by

Craig Harris, Sean Holstege and Bob Ortega
| Arizona Republic

As the Yarnell Hill fire continues to rage, Arizona officials launched an investigation Tuesday to find out how the fast, erratic wildfire killed 19 elite firefighters and whether the tragedy could have been averted.

Fire conditions Sunday were among the most dangerous some experts had ever seen. Low humidity, high temperatures and extremely dry and dense fuel created a worst-case scenario for the crew, which was trapped between two ridges when winds suddenly reversed.

Some of the men had covered themselves with foil-lined, heat-resistant tarps known as fire shelters, but they were ...